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What We’re Reading

NPR: At last, someone has the courage to come out against bananas in fruit salad. And more solid advice on composition and creativity. — Julia Moskin

Bloomberg Businessweek: His name was Samuel Zemurray, he sold bananas through his company, United Fruit, and he was once the most powerful man in Central America. This review of a new book on the Zemurray saga describes how the humble banana became the sword that enabled the Central Intelligence Agency to topple the Guatemalan government and install the legacy of Zemurray’s banana diplomacy as a permanent feature of the current Central America. — Glenn Collins

Afar: And yes, we have even more bananas: On a journey through Laos years ago, Andy Isaacson impulsively dreamed up a sushi roll involving peanut butter, bananas and sesame seeds. Almost a decade later, he returns to a fishing village on the Nam Ou River to find that the “Falang Roll” has taken on a life of its own. — Jeff Gordinier

Wine Anorak: A brief primer on beer, with a 10-pack of recommendations. — Eric Asimov

Grub Street: Bet you never expected to hear Ronald McDonald and Thomas Keller evoked in the same sentence. But Daniel Coudreaut, the guy responsible for McDonald’s new fruit and oatmeal, says he’s fed up with hearing his company blamed for America’s diet problems: “I’m sure I could eat a 2,000 calorie meal at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry.” …
The Wall Street Journal: … Still, even at the French Laundry, you couldn’t get deep-fried chicken chips. — Patrick Farrell

The Journal News: It’s June and the farmers’ markets have returned to various towns and villages north of New York City. Here’s a guide. — Jeff Gordinier

Time Out New York: The best new attractions at New York’s flea markets include Hash Bar, a Smorgasburg stand that turns what used to be a strategy for leftovers into a delivery system for the freshest produce. — Patrick Farrell

The Daily Beast: The Walt Disney Company’s crackdown on junk-food advertising during its television programs has been called a “game changer” in the battle over obesity by Michelle Obama. But critics are charging that too much junk-television-watching — as much as six hours a day for some children — is a thornier issue. — Glenn Collins

The New York Times: As the gap between rich and poor Americans widens, Frito-Lay is playing both sides: marketing its traditional snacks to what it calls its “value” customers and healthier alternatives to those who can afford them. — Patrick Farrell

The Guardian: Oliver Thring reports on the British craze for rapeseed oil. He also admits that he finds rapeseed oil kind of gross. — Jeff Gordinier

The New York Post: Now playing in your neighbor’s kitchen: “Crumble,” a play in which an actress cooks in the apartments of New Yorkers who offer up their (tiny) spaces. — Patrick Farrell

GQ: Pupusas and deep-fried pickles? Single malts, shawarma and soul food? A Detroit pizza master tells you where to track down the best of these things in his home city. — Jeff Gordinier